Final answer:
Complete beta-oxidation of an eight-carbon fatty acid results in four acetyl-CoA molecules. The eight-carbon chain undergoes three beta-oxidation cycles before splitting into two acetyl-CoA molecules in the final cycle, hence 4 acetyl-CoA molecules are produced.
Step-by-step explanation:
The complete beta-oxidation of an eight-carbon fatty acid molecule involves several cycles of beta-oxidation.
Each iteration of this pathway shortens the fatty acid by a two-carbon segment, which is converted into acetyl-CoA.
Since beta-oxidation cleaves two carbons per cycle, an eight-carbon fatty acid will undergo a total of n/2 - 1 cycles, where n is the number of carbons.
Specifically, 8/2 - 1 equals three cycles. In total, you will get 4 acetyl-CoA molecules, because in the final cycle, the remaining four-carbon chain is split into two acetyl-CoA molecules.
So, for one eight-carbon fatty acid molecule undergoing complete beta-oxidation, 4 acetyl-CoA molecules are produced.
Additionally, there are several other byproducts for each beta-oxidation cycle, including FADH2, NADH, and ATP.
Question: In the intricate process of beta-oxidation, a fundamental pathway in fatty acid metabolism, consider the complete beta-oxidation of a eight-carbon fatty acid molecule. How many of each of these molecules are produced in the complete beta-oxidation of one eight-carbon fatty acid molecule?